The fact of the matter is--life is so busy! There are so many important things I want to blog about (namely the ever increasing desires of my heart to relocate to Germany, and the process of the Lord's solidification of that calling in my heart), but there is just so much to say I haven't gotten my thoughts together enough, yet, to share everything with you. I think I'll need to break that story of my life up into several pieces, otherwise you'll definitely get bored and leave!
This is a magnet I may have made to send out to people who might prayerfully and financially support me on my trip this summer! Paderborn (backdrop) is the city I will be staying in, and "Beten fuer Meaghan in Deutschland" means Pray for Meaghan in Germany
Today, though, I think I'll talk a little bit about my recent decision to embrace the Paleo lifestyle, at least for 30 days (though quite probably, longer!). Have you heard of Paleo?
The official little hook to get you interested is:
"The Paleo Diet, the world’s healthiest diet, is based on the simple understanding that the best human diet is the one to which we are best genetically adapted. It is supported by documented scientific evidence and by real-life improvements, even triumphs, of people winning their personal health battles."
Basically, Paleo mimics the diet of our hunter-gathering ancestors to include fruits, veggies, nuts, berries and meat. The difference is that Paleo cuts out the ingestion of grains, dairy products, soy, and specifies that beef be grass-fed and chicken be free-range. Makes sense, since our meat is pumped full of antibiotics and hormones...
Anyways, I'm excited to embrace a much healthier lifestyle. I go through phases where I eat quite healthy (and quite similar to Paleo) and feel fantastic, but they don't last for long. I don't quite understand why I slip back into the habit of drowning myself in fast food and chocolate, when it makes me feel so awful and lethargic all the time... but it happens, nonetheless.
My hope is that through taking better care of my body, my energy-level issues will dissipate. I've struggled off and on since high school with adrenal burnout issues due to my tightly packed schedule and thinly-stretched self. When I combine the stress and sleep deprivation that comes with taking 18 hours, working, running my own business, church involvement, and a social life (what's that??) with filling my body with crap, the sum of that equation is not a happy one.
Now, I cannot yet argue with you about the scientific evidence that abstaining from wheat is actually better for my body, or that I'll never have any energy if I don't eat carbohydrates (in the form of bread), because I haven't read the book about Paleo yet. I am going to, though, and once I've done that, we can discuss away! ;)
This was my paleo friendly brunch (since I slept far too late) this morning!
A delicious smoothie made with almond milk, a little coconut milk french vanilla creamer, raspberries, strawberries, banana, spinach, a little raw honey, a smidge of cocoa powder, and a hint of cinnamon. Delightful! 
I paired my smoothie with a delectable omelet (and was quite proud of my flipping skills!) made out of 2 eggs, spinach, tomato, onion, chili powder and pepper!
(I was thinking about poking you to write another entry)
ReplyDeleteI have a few friends also following the paleo diet. The premise behind it I find both attractive and reasonable.
I try to follow it myself more or less, but hey... I am man who likes his bread! om nom nom.
If carbs are an issue, fruits have "better" carbs than bread. It's a great idea to have an apple as part of your breakfast. It helped me survive one hellish weekend of high intensity Parkour training.
Fun fact: There are other things where going with the more "natural" method is healthier and more beneficial. For instance, the machines you find at the gym are TERRIBLE. We have not evolved to do workouts that purely focus on a single muscle group. when we, run, jump, climb, or carry, we use several muscle groups at a time. The machines that restrain your motion to a path are next to worthless.
on the flip side, while free weights provide more benefit, they can be harmful if you don't have proper form in your workouts. but that's what trainers/more experienced people are for.
I definitely support your paleo-ness, and if you're going to be following it then definitely take the time to read more into it. You don't want to accept things as true without a bit of serious research now :P
also, I wish you the best of luck on your Germany trip ^.^
Ray! So glad to hear your insight, you always leave great comments!
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely excited to learn more about the Paleo lifestyle, I have the book now so I'm going to read the research and evidence behind it. However, I just found out my grandma has been eating Paleo to help with her diabetes and she's already been taken off one of her medications, has lost weight, and is requiring less insulin---so that's plenty of proof for me!
I've never really thought about how working out a single muscle group on the machines is not beneficial for my body! It makes a lot of sense, even though I am guilty of being an elliptical-user. I have been embracing yoga much more this semester, though, and I find that it works most of my muscle groups. I also like zumba a lot! It's dancing, but it is definitely a high-intensity workout in my opinion (probably more for the women, though. Haven't met many guys in that class!).
This is very interesting.
ReplyDeleteYou know how I love healthy things, but I just don't know how to survive without bread and cheese!
I might try it for a little bit though. See if it feels good enough to convince me it's worth it ;)
It's really hard! hahaha. However, if you're already vegetarian, I don't know that you'd necessarily want to cut out even more things like bread and cheese.. Ya know? Paleo encourages red meat, and also allows fish and chicken, sooooo....
ReplyDeleteAh yes, maybe not. I would have to eat a lot of eggs.
ReplyDelete